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Good morning. Angela Skujins here on newsletter duties, helping you digest all the major news from Brussels and beyond for the final week before the summer holidays.

Tricks of the trade. A delegation from the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, led by Member of the European Parliament and chair David McAllister, is in China this week for meetings with Chinese authorities.

We tried to contact members of the delegation during the visit, only to be reminded that their phones had been taken away by the local authorities and they were incommunicado. But the timing is notable.

With Brussels and Beijing working towards an October deadline to tackle the EU’s hundreds-of-billions-of-euros trade deficit with China, economic ties are once again under the spotlight.

Against that backdrop, Euronews trade reporter Peggy Corlin shifts the focus to another crucial relationship: the EU and the United States. One year after the Turnberry deal, she examines a transatlantic partnership that has remained anything but smooth.

Circuit breaker. New United Kingdom Prime Minister Andy Burnham is set to expand on his policy platform today, almost 24 hours after officially being sworn in as the UK’s seventh prime minister over the last 10 years.

Mared Gwyn, Europe Today anchor and EU correspondent, noted he used his first public address on Monday to present himself as a man of the people. He spoke without a lectern and notes, and was more unscripted and natural than his predecessors.

He emphasised domestic politics over foreign affairs, however, made one noteworthy comment that should reassure the UK’s North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) partners.

“We will build more council homes — that is the fair and sustainable way to bring the welfare bill down. To meet our fiscal rules, and to honour our commitments on defence to our international partners,” Burnham said.

He pledged to introduce a long-term plan to rebuild the country, arguing that Britain needed a “circuit-breaker” from decades of economic and political decline. “Britain needs to show the world that we can regain our stability once again,” Burnham said.

His appointment has been welcomed by European Commission President Ursula von Leyen, who wrote on X the pair spoke on the phone about a smattering of topics.

“We are both committed to bringing the EU and the UK closer and closer. Together, we will work towards a successful Summit that delivers for our businesses, our young people and our shared security,” von der Leyen’s statement says.

Eagle-eyed Mared also highlighted that tomorrow, Wednesday 22 July, was the scheduled date for the now-postponed EU-UK summit, which fell to the wayside after Starmer vacated the premiership.

Professor Tony Travers from the London School of Economics just said on Euronews’ flagship morning programme Europe Today that he expects Burnham to give the EU-UK relationship “more energy” than former Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Watch.

“When he was mayor of Greater Manchester, he made a number of statements suggesting a much closer relationship between the UK and the EU than Keir Starmer, who was really quite cautious about it, didn’t want to upset public opinion. Public opinion has moved on to some extent,” he said.

Spanish victory continues. Following La Roja’s triumphant win at the 2026 FIFA men’s World Cup on Sunday, the 26-man Spanish squad continued their victory parade on Monday. Spain dethroned Argentina by one goal in New Jersey as part of a nail-biting finale to a supersized tournament.

The team on Monday were greeted by Spanish royalty and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in Madrid before boarding an open-top bus for a parade through the capital.

With Spain winning the 2024 European Football Championship, also known as the Euros, and the women’s team also taking out the 2023 FIFA World Cup title, many are wondering what Madrid’s secret is.

Football pundit Pablo Montaño just said on Europe Today that there are no mammoth stars to the men’s team, but the squad’s “really big players” — Lameen Jamal, Rodri Hernandez and Paul Kuarsi — operate like a well oiled machine, particularly under the guidance of coach Luis de la Fuente.

“They work like an engine,” Pablo said.

But the controversy does not end once the champagne is uncorked. He said the reason FIFA has opened an investigation into the Argentine team, following a brawl after the Sunday match’s final whistle, is because the team “did not know how to lose”.

And finally, for our readers in Belgium, Fijne Nationale Feestdag! Joyeuse Fête nationale! Schönen Nationalfeiertag! ​

Belgium is celebrating its national day today on 21 July 2026, with fervent fans of the Benelux country able to enjoy a slate of planned activities.

As part of this, expect a display of military might. Flemish public broadcasting organisation VReadNOW is reporting there will be a military and civilian parade boasting brand-new drones and F-35 fighter jets. It starts at 4 pm from Paleizenplein in the Royal Quarter.

What’s the point of the parade? Ian Lesser of the German Marshall Fund said military parades are designed to showcase a country’s “military and technological prowess” but can mean different things depending on the nation.

“There’s a world of difference between the parade in Belgium or parades in England or France, and parades in North Korea, China, or Russia,” he said.

For Belgium, today’s procession offers an opportunity for the nation of 11 million people to project what it is — and what weapons it has — on a global stage. “It’s an opportunity for the country to assert its modern identity as a unified country,” he said.

Space is the place. European Commissioner of Defence Andrius Kubilius will be travelling to Warsaw, Poland today for an 8:55 am signing ceremony regarding contributions for the IRIS² programme. Poland is contributing PLN 211 million (€ 51 million) as part of its development of the bloc’s flagship satellite constellation programme.

“Space is no longer a distant ambition. It is about security, sovereignty, economic resilience, and technological leadership,” the Defence Commissioner told Euronews in a statement.

How Montenegro might complicate the EU’s already tense budget talks

Montenegro is expected to set a precedent for how the expansion of the EU will be financed in the near future, introducing yet another complication to the complex discussion of the bloc’s next long-term budget.

Last month, the European Commission presented the financial package for Montenegro’s accession, the most advanced process of all the current candidate countries for EU membership.

The economic cost of the Western Balkan country, which has a population of around 626,000, was estimated at €3.2 billion – less than €1 per EU taxpayer, or, as Commission officials put it, less than the price of a coffee.

But while the financial impact might be minimal, dwarfed by the EU’s nearly €2 trillion long-term budget, Montenegro’s impact on the already sensitive budget talks could be far more significant than its size suggests.

Read the full story by Luca Bertuzzi.

More from our newsrooms

What is Spain’s World Cup victory actually worth to the national economy?

Spain’s 1-0 victory over Argentina in Sunday’s World Cup final brings a record $50 million (€43.7m) cheque from FIFA and, if past champions are any guide, a measurable but fleeting lift for the economy. Quirino Mealha gets into the weeds.

EU slaps €550 million fine on AliExpress over illegal and counterfeit goods

The EU’s crackdown on Chinese online marketplaces is accelerating, with aggressive compliance checks and increased charges for imports into the bloc from fast-fashion sites like Temu and Shein. Vincenzo Genovese has the latest.

Cyprus marks the 52nd anniversary of Turkey’s invasion of the island

Turkey launched its invasion on the 20th of July, 1974, occupying roughly 37% of the island. Around 3,000 people, mostly civilians, died in the invasion, while 1,619 were reported missing. Read the story.

We’re also keeping an eye on

• Informal meeting of Research and Innovation Ministers in Dublin, Ireland.
• European Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law and Consumer Protection, Michael McGrath, meets with the Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission of the United States of America, Andrew Ferguson.

That’s it for today. Mared Gwyn and Peggy Corlincontributed to this newsletter.